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The Guardian
· collected 2026-10-12 · by Jessica Murray Social affairs correspondent
Laura Johnson, who previously oversaw cost-cutting measures at Grenfell Tower that contributed to the fatal 2017 fire, has left her position as director of development and property at The Barnet Group following criticism from survivors and bereaved families. Johnson’s departure came after she was appointed to the £157,078-a-year role in August, a move that drew significant public outrage. Eamon McGoldrick, chair of The Barnet Group board, confirmed her termination but cited confidentiality obligations for not providing specific details about why she left her position.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-12,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Laura Johnson, who oversaw cost-cutting at Grenfell Tower before the 2017 fire that killed 72 people while she was director of housing for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), has left her £150,000-a-year senior council housing role at the Barnet Group. The move to appoint Johnson as the director of development and property in August faced criticism from bereaved families and survivors, who called it "outrageous and disrespectful." In the wake of the Grenfell inquiry, it was revealed that Johnson had advocated for a new contractor to carry out renovations on a lower budget, leading to the installation of combustible plastic-filled panels instead of metal cladding. The Barnet Group confirmed in a letter to Joe Powell, MP for Kensington and Bayswater, that Johnson is no longer employed by them, though they did not provide reasons for her departure.
Written for “Grenfell Tower Cost Cutting” on 2026-10-12,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but 1 quote(s) could not be found in the article and the other 1 are attributed speech rather than the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 73712: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-12
A housing director who oversaw cost cutting at Grenfell Tower before the fatal fire has left a £150,000-a-year senior council housing role after a backlash from bereaved families and survivors.
asserted
who → oversee → families
Laura Johnson was the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire which killed 72 people;p, and was criticised in the subsequent inquiry for her role in budget-cutting decisions prior to the blaze.
asserted
which → kill → blaze
It was found that she pushed for a new contractor to carry out the tower’s renovation works on a lower budget, which ultimately meant metal cladding was swapped for combustible plastic-filled panels to save money.
asserted
cladding → find → money
In August, she was appointed the director of development and property at the Barnet Group, which manages the borough’s 13,000 council homes, on a salary of £157,078, a move described by bereaved families and survivors as “outrageous and disrespectful”.
asserted
which → appoint → families
In a letter to Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater where Grenfell Tower stood, the company confirmed that Johnson was “no longer employed by The Barnet Group”.
asserted
Johnson → stand → Group
Eamon McGoldrick, the chair of the board, said in the letter: “We fully recognise the depth of feeling surrounding the Grenfell Tower tragedy and its continuing impact on bereaved families, survivors, residents and the wider community.
asserted
We → say → families
“We also fully acknowledge legitimate public interest concerning governance of senior appointments.”
asserted
We → acknowledge → appointments
He said he “owed obligations of confidentiality” to employees and could not go into specific details about Johnson’s situation.
uncertain
he → say → situation
It is not clear exactly what led to Johnson’s job being terminated.
asserted
job → lead → ?
Powell said: “It’s totally inappropriate for any individual criticised by the inquiry to continue to work in housing, particularly while criminal investigations are ongoing.
asserted
investigations → say → housing
It’s right that Laura Johnson is no longer in such a position.
asserted
Johnson → ’ → position
“The Grenfell Tower inquiry was clear about the failings of the RBKC and senior individuals involved in the management of their housing, including the tower.”
asserted
inquiry → include → tower
Last month, a Barnet Group spokesperson insisted Johnson was the “strongest candidate” for the role in a competitive field, and that it had considered her “professional experience, subsequent performance, references, qualifications and overall suitability for the role”.
asserted
it → insist → role
A Barnet Group spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Laura Johnson is no longer employed by The Barnet Group.
asserted
Johnson → say → Group
“In common with any employer, we owe obligations of confidentiality to those working for us, applying for, or being considered for any role at any level.
asserted
we → owe → level
For that reason, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further.
asserted
us → comment → reason
Last month the Metropolitan police said it had asked prosecutors to consider charges including manslaughter and fraud against 54 individuals, and 20 companies and organisations, in relation to the Grenfell fire.
asserted
it → say → fire
The Crown Prosecution Service said charging decisions would be made before the 10th anniversary of the disaster on 14 June 2027.
asserted
decisions → say → June
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